With the motto of ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’, the Supreme Court of India has always been the epitome of justice in the country. With the recent iconic judgements passed by the apex court, the common man is perceiving the judicial system of the country in a new light. 2018 has not come to an end yet and the Supreme Court has already accorded some of the most astounding judgements that would be remembered for years to comes.

Here’s a brief look at the four most noteworthy and landmark judgments by the Supreme Court in 2018:

1. Decriminalisation of Section 377 of the IPC

The Supreme court, on September 6, struck down the Victorian era law on homosexuality. The part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised homosexuality in India was held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and struck down, paving the way for more open-minded and accepting society that recognises the right to equality laid down under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The judgment came as a victory for the LGBTQ community of the country which fought tooth and nail to legalise consensual gay sex in India. CJI Dipak Misra called Section 377 as irrational, arbitrary and incomprehensible, which fetters the right to equality for the LGBT community, which holds the same equality as other citizens. Justice Chandrachud voiced that Section 377 destroyed gay people's identity and criminalising gay sex made the LGBT a closeted community. He also said that the state has no business to get into controlling the private lives of the LGBT community or any citizen as a matter of fact.

2. Aadhaar verdict

The Supreme Court recently held that the Aadhaar system that includes a Unique Identification Number for the citizens of India was constitutionally valid, ensuring that the citizens’ lives are not disrupted by it. The top court abolished the clause that makes linking an Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile numbers and having Aadhaar for school admissions mandatory.

The court held that Aadhaar does not violate the right to privacy and will be continued for government services and benefits like distribution of rations and collection of income tax. Also, the biometric identity programme cannot be used by private and corporate entities for the collection of data.

3. Adultery verdict

The Supreme Court also struck down the grey-bearded law that criminalised adultery. The apex court took down the adultery law as unconstitutional, declaring that the husband is not the master of his wife. The court attenuated the provision of the Indian Penal Code that punished a married man for indulging in a consensual sexual relationship with a married woman, with her husband’s permission. Section 497 of the IPC was held unconstitutional by the court, which also expressed that there was no evidence or data to claim that abolition of adultery as a crime would result in “chaos in sexual morality” or an increase of divorce.

The court also stated that Section 497 puts a married woman in the light of a chattel of her husband. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud called the provision of Section 497 as a ‘codified rule of patriarchy’. Justice Indu Malhotra expressed that adultery law is the end product of Doctrine of Coverture, which holds that a woman loses her identity and legal right with marriage and violates the fundamental rights of a woman.

4. Passive Euthanasia Is Permissible

The Supreme Court gave legal sanction to passive euthanasia in March 2018 upholding the right to die with dignity as a fundamental right. The court permitted ‘living will’ by a patient on withdrawing medical support if they slip into an irreversible coma.

The judgment stems out from a petition filed by ‘Common Cause’, an NGO that asked the court to recognise the living will of a person. The petition stated that in case a medical expert holds an opinion that a person suffering from a terminal disease reaches a stage from which there is no return, the patient should be given the right to refuse life support.

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Taji George practices at Trial Courts Bangalore and Karnataka High Court. He started independent practice since 2002 in the name of George & Co. and now George & Co. is one of the known law firm in the city of Bangalore with substantial practice. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Karnataka in 1995.
His practice areas are criminal matters, Family Matters, Property related matters, start-up matters, divorce matters, civil matters and drafting and vetting of various agreements and documents. He initially started practice with eminent criminal lawyer and then with the leading Law Firms in South India and acquired through Knowledge in Criminal trials, civil litigations, real estate and corporate work.
He has experience of 2+ years in the legal profession and providing services. He provides services in fair and transparent manner with result oriented approach. He is very supportive and friendly to his clients both professionally and ethically. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter.

Advocate Hemendra Singh Solanki practices at Jaipur High Court. He works in a speedy manner to give the desired output .He holds an MBA degree in Finance and has an experience of 7 years. He has also maintained good relations in different departments for smooth functioning.
His area of expertise is Corporate Law and he also provides services in genral legal matters.
He ensures cost effective representation and personalized attention to maintain the quality of work and to deliver practical and innovative solutions to the clients. His motto is to help the clients in achieve their goals by adopting the best possible legal approach to find the best solution to a legal issue. He has experience of 3+ years in legal profession and providing services.

Advocate Jagdish Rai Mehta provides services in various field of Arbitration, Bail/Anticipatory Bail, Civil Litigation, Consumer Protection, Criminal Defense & Divorce & Alimony Insurance
He has been practicing and handling cases independently with a result oriented approach, both professionally and ethically in District Court Patiala for more than 34 years.
Advocate Jagdish Rai Mehta focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Surekha Gondhale has been practicing judiciously and serving the legal fraternity in District Court Pune for more than 8 years. She is also a member of the Pune Court Bar Association.
She is professionally dealing with cases in the field of law pertaining to Cheque Bounce, Civil Litigation, Divorce & Alimony, Documentation and Property/Real Estate matters.
Advocate Surekha Gondhale focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. She believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. She is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. Her analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes her a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Nagaraju has expertise in Civil Disputes especially Arbitration, Transfer of Property, Contracts (Bank Guarantee), Criminal laws, Consumer protection, Electricity Act, Matrimonial disputes, Family laws (Maintenance, Divorce, etc), Negotiable Instruments (Cheque Bounce etc), Railway Claims, Muslim Laws, Domestic Violence, Revenue ,Immigration ,Builder Disputes, Electricity Bill disputes etc.
He is professionally dealing with the cases in the field of law pertaining to Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, Debt Recovery, Family Law, Motor Accident and Muslim Law.
Advocate Nagaraju focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. He provides services in fair and transparent manner with result oriented approach. He is very supportive and friendly to his clients both professionally and ethically. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client or litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Jagdeep Pal Singh Randhawa procured his LLB degree in the year 1997 from Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and has been practicing judiciously and serving the legal fraternity in District Court Ludhiana for more than 20 years. He is also a member of the Ludhiana District Bar Association.
He provides services independently in various fields of Criminal cases and Civil Law cases which includes, Cheque Bounce, Divorce & Alimony, Family Dispute, Property Dispute and drafting and vetting of various agreements and documents.
He has been practicing and handling cases with a result oriented approach, both professionally and ethically and has now acquired many years of professional experience in providing legal consultancy and advisory services.He focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Top Consulted General Legal Advocates

Taji George practices at Trial Courts Bangalore and Karnataka High Court. He started independent practice since 2002 in the name of George & Co. and now George & Co. is one of the known law firm in the city of Bangalore with substantial practice. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Karnataka in 1995.
His practice areas are criminal matters, Family Matters, Property related matters, start-up matters, divorce matters, civil matters and drafting and vetting of various agreements and documents. He initially started practice with eminent criminal lawyer and then with the leading Law Firms in South India and acquired through Knowledge in Criminal trials, civil litigations, real estate and corporate work.
He has experience of 2+ years in the legal profession and providing services. He provides services in fair and transparent manner with result oriented approach. He is very supportive and friendly to his clients both professionally and ethically. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter.

Advocate Hemendra Singh Solanki practices at Jaipur High Court. He works in a speedy manner to give the desired output .He holds an MBA degree in Finance and has an experience of 7 years. He has also maintained good relations in different departments for smooth functioning.
His area of expertise is Corporate Law and he also provides services in genral legal matters.
He ensures cost effective representation and personalized attention to maintain the quality of work and to deliver practical and innovative solutions to the clients. His motto is to help the clients in achieve their goals by adopting the best possible legal approach to find the best solution to a legal issue. He has experience of 3+ years in legal profession and providing services.

Advocate Jagdish Rai Mehta provides services in various field of Arbitration, Bail/Anticipatory Bail, Civil Litigation, Consumer Protection, Criminal Defense & Divorce & Alimony Insurance
He has been practicing and handling cases independently with a result oriented approach, both professionally and ethically in District Court Patiala for more than 34 years.
Advocate Jagdish Rai Mehta focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Surekha Gondhale has been practicing judiciously and serving the legal fraternity in District Court Pune for more than 8 years. She is also a member of the Pune Court Bar Association.
She is professionally dealing with cases in the field of law pertaining to Cheque Bounce, Civil Litigation, Divorce & Alimony, Documentation and Property/Real Estate matters.
Advocate Surekha Gondhale focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. She believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. She is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. Her analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes her a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Nagaraju has expertise in Civil Disputes especially Arbitration, Transfer of Property, Contracts (Bank Guarantee), Criminal laws, Consumer protection, Electricity Act, Matrimonial disputes, Family laws (Maintenance, Divorce, etc), Negotiable Instruments (Cheque Bounce etc), Railway Claims, Muslim Laws, Domestic Violence, Revenue ,Immigration ,Builder Disputes, Electricity Bill disputes etc.
He is professionally dealing with the cases in the field of law pertaining to Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, Debt Recovery, Family Law, Motor Accident and Muslim Law.
Advocate Nagaraju focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. He provides services in fair and transparent manner with result oriented approach. He is very supportive and friendly to his clients both professionally and ethically. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client or litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

Advocate Jagdeep Pal Singh Randhawa procured his LLB degree in the year 1997 from Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and has been practicing judiciously and serving the legal fraternity in District Court Ludhiana for more than 20 years. He is also a member of the Ludhiana District Bar Association.
He provides services independently in various fields of Criminal cases and Civil Law cases which includes, Cheque Bounce, Divorce & Alimony, Family Dispute, Property Dispute and drafting and vetting of various agreements and documents.
He has been practicing and handling cases with a result oriented approach, both professionally and ethically and has now acquired many years of professional experience in providing legal consultancy and advisory services.He focuses on comprehending the needs of the client and providing with efficient quality work and legal information. He believes that a proper legal advice to a client and litigant can be given after considering the entire matter. He is consistent and precise in identifying strength and weakness of the matter. His analytical, logical and client-friendly approach makes him a well-founded advocate for assistance.

I was invalided out of Navy as a permanent commissioned officer and as a lieutenant sergeant in August 1989. Am I eligible to get pension having served nearly 5 years in defence even if no disability was attributed to service for my medical condition?

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